New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-01
NOTES FROM LONDON.

Primrose Day continues to deserve It's name, The
streets of London yesterday looked like 90 many
bedrerows in Sussex. n the fashion Of wearing
primroses ON the 10th Of Aprl be really still meant
in honor of Lord Beaconsfeld the honor Is rendered
not less freely than Of old Never, perhaps since
bis death were more little nosegays Of yellow 70 DC
seem in London. But, OF course, the primrose he's
now very definite political meaning Independents
II Of or in addition TO- Lord Beaconsheids posthn'
NOUS fame The Primrose League Ia an institution
all over the land. -,
I don't know whether oil primrose wearers Oh
Yesterday meant to advertise themselves as mem
Ssru Of that interesting association. suppose not.
Thenumher and variety were too great. though.
"a to variety, anybody, believe. may join Prim-
rose League whatever be his social position OF
even nationality The foreigner Is not disqualified
because he is foreigner, while as to opinions he Is
supposed to have none. was asked some two
wears AFRO to join one of these bodies-or Habita-
lions. as they cell themselves | promptly pleaded
auenare. but with no effect Then said L held
Liberal views and was told that foreigner could
not belong to an English party, and when ! SAID
that II could not be Liberal no more could Dc
Tory, tie answer was "It Is not POLITICAL NAV
Ter at all You are the only guest at the house VINO
mas not primrose badge and we are going On Q
platform and 1t will be noticed. and IN shoft you
pnust put it on.n Finally offered to so as cap
tive, and by help of much entreaty and some nat
hraI obstinacy escaped wearing this singular order
Primroses were DEAR too, yesterday. Such havoc
has been made in reent years IN the homes
of this simple flower that Nature Is unequal TO ne
producing il ON the scale which fashion demands
So at Covent Garden posies OF prlmroses were
double price, and if you bought them In bond-st
or Picadllly you paid whatever sum the fancy OF
fashionable florist fixed on at the moment. don't
know where the crossing sweepers mace their pur-
chases or the very match vendors who always seem
To he the poorest of mankind. Coachmen and foot
man were looked after by their masters and hard as
The times are supposed to be. there was money
enough to fit out these magnificent creatures with
nosegays almost big enough In some cases for
drawine-room There are Liberal scribes who pro-
Tess 70 detect falling off in the number OF these
yellow symbols, but I think their point of view
may have been slightly partisan or, let us say they
were short-sighted Lord Randolph told the people
of Nottingham to whom he made a rather lively
speech that members of the House of Commons be-
gan TO blossom out as early as 1 o'clock on Tues
day morning in the House itself Lord kanoolph
Is, in sense, the author of much OF this enthnsi-
asm. No has done 80 much to keep allght tne
sacred fre-if it be sacred-of worship for Dsraeli
By precept and by imitation he has taught the
lesson in season and out of season; mmioking some
of the least good pecularities of Lord Beaconseid
as well as piously preserving whatever he could OF
the best The idea of the primrose was not his; the
idea of the League, believe. was And certainly
Lady Randolph Churchill has been one OF the
leading spirits of it. Lord Randolph's mother,
The Duchess of Marlborough, has even appeared at
GREAT public meeting and made speech as
Primrose Dame, and good speech
The second edition of Mr.. Andrew Langs Books
and Bookinen" differs from the first In the correo-
tion of some errors and in the substitution OF an
essay ON "Rich AID Poor" for that on "Curiosities
of Parish Registers pretty ballad on "Doriss
Rocks is inserted; much occupied with pane
gyric on Miss Broughton's novels. Rich and
POOR Is one of Mr.. Lang's best performances. IL
is the Rich Collector of course, whom he contrasts
with the Poor Collector, and he says many Just
things against those terrible persons with much
money who make the treasures OF photography
nnattainable by ordinary mortas. Mr.. Lang loves
books for their own sake, and not because they
hapoen to be the fashion, to be coveted by peo'
ple with long purses. What is more, he has the
courage of his opinions. If he wants book and
cannot afford to buy fine copy, he buys poor
CODY or even an imperfect copy; provided always
il be of the good date or be the right edition OF
mere reprints there Is question. And he has the
still more admirable courage to prefer his own taste
to the great taste of some very great and learned
photographers His bits of autobiography are posi-
lively pathetic. 81 believe" says Mr.. Lang, no
man. Rich or Poor, has library so rich In I'm
psrfect works as the author of these pages" To
Che author of those pages given to love books at
bnce for themselves and for the reading there is in
them: a combination more rare than perhaps Is
commonly sifyposed 1.-THE Poor Collector" he tells
MS "revels in shabby brown boaquins for reason
the Rich man would not suspect-namely, for love
of their contents" / must send kindred spirits to
Mr.. Langs pages for further proof of sympathy and
kindly spirit; only repeating that the volume as
whole is delightful.
p. A first folio of Shakespeare was sold yesterday
by auction for f255, or say 1925 more or less.
1t had two merits. It was unusually large copy,
and il was-so said the catalogue-in the original
leather binding On the other hand, IL lacked the
title page with the Droeshout portrait, and book
without title tsupposng IL ever had one Is hardly
book at all to the true collector. Much else was
wanting to the perfection Of this copy; 80 much
that IL Is a wonder who the enthusiast can DO who
cared to pay such sum of money for book which
he can never look at without a pang.
Isuppose shall never succeed In getting tech
meal phrase safely the Atlantic. except By
mail. and not always then. Tread dispatch the
other day about q billiard match, and wondered
mat the reader Of 1t in New-York might suppose IL
h mean. And then recoleoted that an attempt
In manuscript to expound some of the mysteries OF
English billiards met with similar misadventure
mo doubt because the manuscript was 90 bad
perbaps il is an advantage to have o bad hand
wrt,ng-t permits one to invite ones readers to sot
aown to that account anything more nonsensical
than usual which appears over ones own signature
NV case is worse than that Of many, because can
write very legbly and DO not; always. As for
cable dispatches though mistakes are numerous,
It Is only wonderful that they are not more
numerous.
With respect to billiards. however. should like
20 MAKE a remark which might be uppstrotio If
patriotism were In question. The English game
Seams 70 be unknown IN America, and nevertheless